Tuesday, December 8, 2015

HOW TO PRAY THE ROSARY

LET US PRAY FOR THE CONSECRATION OF RUSSIA TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY

What is the Holy Rosary?

Up until now it is considered that the best definition of the Rosary is the one provided by St. Pius V in his Bull of 1569 Consueverunt Romani Pontifices: “The Rosary or Psalter of the Holy Virgin Mary is a very pious way of prayer, available to all, which consists in the repetition of the salutation with which the angel greeted Mary; saying an Our Father between each decade of Hail Marys, while trying to meditate upon the life of Our Lord.” The traditional Rosary consists of 15 Our Fathers and 150 Hail Marys in memory of the 150 psalms.

The word rosary means “crown of roses”. Our Lady has revealed to numerous persons that every time one says a Hail Mary that person gives her a beautiful rose and that every time one prays the entire Rosary makes Her a crown of roses. The rose is the queen of flowers and therefore the most important of them all.

The Rosary is composed of two elements: mental prayer and vocal prayer.

The mental prayer of the Rosary is the recommended meditation on the main mysteries or facts of the life, death and glory of Jesus Christ and His Holy Mother. These 15 mysteries have been divided into three parts: the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious mysteries.

The vocal prayer of the Rosary consists of the recitation of 150 Hail Marys (in the entire Rosary) or 50 Hail Marys. Each decade (there are 5 decades in each Rosary, and 15 decades in each full Rosary) begins by reciting the Our Father out loud while meditating on one of the mysteries.  The estimated time of duration for reciting 5 decades of the Rosary is 18 minutes.

The Catholic Church received the Rosary in its current form in 1214 AD, in a miraculous way:  Our Lady appeared to Saint Dominic and gave it to him as a powerful weapon for the conversion of heretics and other sinners of the time. Since then, the devotion to the Rosary has spread quickly around the world and it has yielded both outstanding and miraculous results.

Among the various forms to honor the mother of God, the Holy Rosary has a prominent place. It is worth remembering that Our Lady has insisted upon the recitation of the Rosary in each of her numerous apparitions. Thus, on 13th May of 1917, in a small town of Portugal called Cova da Iría, the Holy Virgin vehemently insisted that the three shepherd children say the Rosary every day.

The Rosary is a powerful sacramental.  It comprises the principal mysteries of our Catholic faith. It nourishes and sustains faith.  It raises the mind to the revealed truths. It is one of the most efficacious means to attain eternal salvation in our eternal homeland: Heaven. It increases the piety of the faithful. It promotes and strengthens the virtues. In addition, the Rosary is not only highly effective but one may say that it is also the easiest prayer for the simple and humble of heart. It is the most excellent prayer to Our Mother so that she may intercede for us before the Throne of God.

The Rosary perpetuates the liturgical life of the Church though it is not a substitute for it. On the contrary, it enriches and gives vigor to the liturgy. Consequently, the Rosary is not only renowned but popular amongst practicing Catholics because it contains a great treasure of values while answering the great questions of existence with traditional Christian wisdom.

Neither the modern way of life, the passing of time nor the innovation of prayer forms can ignore the recitation of the Holy Rosary. In fact, the Holy Fathers and saints have had a deep devotion to this sacramental. As Catholics, and as lovers of the Queen of Heaven, we must be fervent devotees of the Holy Rosary. It is worth recalling here that a family that prays together stays together. Let us pray that the pious and conscious recitation of the Rosary brings our souls peace and also unites us more closely to Mary so that we can live our lives as true followers of Christ. 

We remind you that the recitation of the Holy Rosary is currently being promoted with the intention of asking for the consecration of Russia by the Pope to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, fulfilling all the requirements requested by Our Lady of Fatima.

How to pray it:


1)      Make the Sign of the Cross and say the Apostle’s Creed or the Act of Contrition.
2)      Say the Our Father. (*)
3)      Say three Hail Marys, entrusting our Faith, our Hope and our Charity to the Holy Virgin, as we say each Hail Mary.
4)      Say the Glory Be.
5)      Announce the First Mystery (e.g “The Annunciation”); then say the Our Father.
6)      Say ten Hail Marys, while meditating on the mystery.
7)      Say the Glory Be and ejaculatory prayer (Oh My Jesus, forgive us our sins...)
8)      Announce the Second Mystery (e.g. “The Visitation”); then say the Our Father.
9)      Say ten Hail Marys, while meditating on the mystery.
10)   Say the Glory be and ejaculatory prayer.
11)    Repeat steps 5 - 7, and continue with Third, Fourth and Fifth Mysteries in the same manner.
12)   Say the Hail Holy Queen
13)   When finalizing it is customary to recite the Litany of the Blessed Virgin.

Footnote: (The order of steps 2, 3 and 4 may be moved to be said before step 12).

Prayers of the Rosary:

SIGN OF THE CROSS
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

APOSTLE’S CREED
I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth, and in in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into Hell. On the third day He rose again. He ascended into Heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.
Amen.

ACT OF CONTRITION
“O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you, and I detest all my sins, because of Your just punishments, but most of all because they offend You, my God, who are all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin.”

OUR FATHER
Our Father, Who art in heaven Hallowed be Thy Name; Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

HAIL MARY
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.  Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen. 

GLORY BE
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. 

EJACULATORY PRAYERS
You can say one of the following:
Mary, Mother of grace and Mother of Mercy – Defend us from our enemies and protect us in our life and in the hour of death.
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins; save us from the fires of hell; lead all souls into Heaven, especially those who are in most need of thy mercy.

HAIL HOLY QUEEN
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy.  Hail our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee to we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn, then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray. O God, Whose only begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal rest, grant we beseech Thee, that by meditating upon these mysteries of the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain, and obtain what they promise. Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.

LITANY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY


We fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our necessities, 
but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin.
Amen.

Let us pray-  Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, that we Thy servants may enjoy perpetual health of mind and body, and by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, ever Virgin, be delivered from present sorrow and enjoy everlasting happiness. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

MYSTERIES OF THE ROSARY
Joyful Mysteries (Monday and Thursday)
  1. The Annunciation
  2. The Visitation
  3. The Nativity
  4. The Presentation
  5. The Finding of Our Lord in the Temple
Sorrowful Mysteries (Tuesday and Friday)
  1. The Agony in the Garden
  2. The Scourging at the Pillar
  3. The Crowning with Thorns
  4. The Carrying of the Cross
  5. The Crucifixion
Glorious Mysteries (Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday)
  1. The Resurrection
  2. The Ascension
  3. The Descent of the Holy Ghost
  4. The Assumption
  5. The Coronation of Our Lady
Those who recite the Rosary before the Blessed Sacrament (even if not exposed), in a church or public oratory, or pray it in family or in pious association may obtain a Plenary Indulgence, in according to the usual conditions. 

Source of information:  Blog CATOLICIDAD ¿Qué es el Santo Rosario? Modo de rezarlo. Translated from Spanish by: Fabiola Lozano.